by A. C. Heller
“Ask your questions,” Damiano prompts.
What is he talking about? What questions? “What?”
“You have questions; I am here to answer the ones I feel are appropriate.”
Huh... That's rather pretentious of him. Whatever. He's giving me an opportunity no one else has. I might as well take advantage of it. He's putting me on the spot so I can't think of anything to ask.
“Who are you exactly?”
“You may call me Damiano.”
“Right. But who are you?”
He doesn't answer me. He simply stares back at me impassively. Okay, next question.
“What does The Order really do?”
“They protect those of us who are of the bloodline,” Damiano responds.
“From The Sapient?”
“Yes.”
“Why do The Sapient hate us?”
“Now,” Damiano pauses, “that is a difficult question to answer.”
“Would you try? I'd like to understand.”
Damiano shifts away from his position at the door and moves to sit on the edge of my bed. Tonight has been strange, but seeing him sitting on my bed, elbows resting on his knees while he's staring at the floor clearly in deep thought, has me wondering if I've finally lost my mind. This is a man who I've come to learn avoids conversation or human interaction of any kind. Why is he here to talk to me, in the middle of the night, when I have nothing to offer him? Before I can question it any further he speaks and captures my full attention.
“Many lifetimes ago, there was an ordinary village filled with ordinary people. Life was not easy for these people, not as it is today. They had to work for their sustenance. In this village there was a man named Tomaal. Tomaal was very prominent in this community. Not because of his hard work and dedication. No, but because of the fear he instilled in those who sought to disobey him. Having lived in this village his entire life he had grown quite possessive over a young beauty that was called Xanthia. This girl had no intentions of being Tomaal's possession, but that mattered not. Her parents were pleased with his interest in their daughter, but they did not see what was behind the facade.”
“One night Tomaal escorted Xanthia to a local establishment and quickly realized this was not a good idea. You see, Xanthia was very beautiful, and when they were out in public she caught the eye of most men. Tomaal did not like this. In his eyes she was his and no one else’s, not even to gaze upon. Tomaal dragged her out into the night but not far enough away so that her screams couldn't be heard. However, they were heard. They were not heard by Patrons, but by a man simply passing through. This man had no intentions of staying in that village until he saw Tomaal raise his hand in anger and strike the beautiful Xanthia. The hit was so violent and so malicious that Xanthia was forced to the ground leaking her precious lifeblood into the dirt beneath her. The wanderer could no longer watch this horrific scene. He had to intervene. Just as Tomaal was going to strike her once more, the wanderer caught his arm and spun him away from Xanthia causing Tomaal to lose his footing and land in the dirt. I think that is what they call poetic justice. The unknown man however did not think this justice. Not as he watched Xanthia lift her pained gaze to his. Unable to control his emotions, at that moment the drifter lunged at Tomaal. When he did, Tomaal instantly knew something was not right. This drifter cleared the distance between them far faster than any mortal man could have. One word was all it took to stop the drifter in his tracks.”
“‘Please,’ Xanthia had whispered, softly begging him not to attack Tomaal. Not because she did not want to see him hurt, but because she knew that if he did, Tomaal would not rest until he made his life a living hell. The drifter helped Xanthia to her feet, but does not let her trembling hands go. They stare into each other’s eyes and it was as if something had snapped into place, like two pieces of a puzzle finally joined.”
“Thus began Xanthia and the drifter Daethan's bond. From that night on they were inseparable. Daethan was nothing like Tomaal. He sought to earn her affection, not win it or claim it, but to be deserving of it. Each night as they were forced to part, Xanthia would wonder where it was Daethan went at night. He was not from her village; therefore she knew none of the locals would offer him shelter.”
“Weeks turned to months and their love continued to bloom, but their affections stayed pure. Daethan would often steal a kiss, but nothing more. He believed her to be the purest soul he had ever met and he loved that about her. They were so consumed by their love that neither of them noticed that sitting in the shadows was the ever watchful and jealous Tomaal. He watched Xanthia fall progressively more and more in love with Daethan and it caused his unhealthy jealousy to manifest itself into obsession. His obsession was not just with Xanthia. Now he was obsessed with Daethan as well. He wanted to know how he was capable of such speed, such raw power. Tomaal wanted this for himself. He was determined to find out the truth, even if it meant losing Xanthia. After all, what was the love of one woman to raw power?”
Damiano stops speaking and tilts his head to the side staring at me. I can see his lips are twitching like he's amused. Taking in my own demeanor, I blush. I've got my knees hugged to my chest while I'm still sitting in the computer chair. I've been hanging on his every word so the fact that my mouth is dry tells me that I have been gaping at him. Reaching over to the desk I take a sip of water and turn back to him.
“So, what happened?”
He shakes his head in mock disbelief, but I can see one side of his mouth is slightly lifted. Like he wants to smile.
“One night after Xanthia watches Daethan walk away from her parents’ house she creeps out into the night after him. She's careful to stay back far enough so that he won't notice her. She watches as Daethan enters a barn she knew had been abandoned for years. Through a small window she watches as he lights a candle and lays down on what looks like tattered remains of various blankets. Her heart aches for how he's forced to live. But she's taken aback when she sees that he is not upset by his surroundings. He's smiling. Xanthia quietly enters the barn taking Daethan by surprise. He's delighted that she is there and proceeds to show her. There love making turns into soft confessions of devotion to one another. Daethan explains to her that he smiles because he has her heart. That night they fall asleep in each other’s arms, but as fate would have it, it would also be their last. In the deep of the night the barn quickly becomes an inferno trapping both Daethan and Xanthia inside. Daethan was determined to Xanthia out alive. He held little concern for his own safety, but what he should have considered was that Xanthia felt the same way. A support beam snaps and as if she knew it was going to happen, she pushes Daethan out of the way. The beam pins her to the ground just as the fire becomes even too hot for Daethan to withstand. Xanthia accepts her fate. She kisses him one last time and makes him promise her with her last breath that he will escape. He had no choice. He had promised his beloved Xanthia. She was gone. Taken from him.”
“Once Daethan is clear of the burning structure he realizes that this was no accident. Tomaal stood on the road watching the barn burn and Xanthia die. Daethan's rage overshadows his logic and he charges Tomaal. Daethan had all intentions of ripping Tomaal limb from limb, but he does not get the chance. Out of the shadows come three men on horses with ropes. They throw the ropes around him and circle as fast as the horses can move until he is bound from his neck to his ankles. Tomaal laughs in his face and pushes Daethan causing him to land on his back. One of the horsemen grabs a hold of all three ropes and takes off, dragging Daethan down the road behind him. Tomaal would find out how Daethan had these abilities, even if he had to torture him to find out.”
I gasp and Damiano smiles warmly at my reaction. I'm so enthralled with this story that I want to cry for Xanthia and Daethan and beat the tar out of Tomaal at the same time.
“Despite everything that Tomaal did and all of the pain he inflicted, Daethan did not tell him what he wanted to know. This was not because he was trying to hide the inf
ormation, but because he would not give Tomaal the satisfaction. The very next day, Daethan breathed his last breath due to his wounds from the torture he had endured, thus joining Xanthia once again, this time for eternity.”
“After Daethan's death, Tomaal spent months in search of others like him. While doing so, Tomaal acquired many followers who had also witnessed abilities such as the ones Daethan possessed. It could have been fear, or even pure blood lust that drove these people to follow him, this I will never fully understand.”
“One night as Tomaal and his minions were meeting, seven drifters made their way into town. They did not look around. They did not look for a place to rest their heads. They waited outside for Tomaal. They waited for hours and when the doors finally opened and Tomaal and his men poured out, the battle began. At first they exchanged words. The newcomers explained that they were like you, different. They explained that Daethan was one of them and that they had seen what Tomaal had done to him and his beloved. They were there to seek vengeance for the brother they had lost. The words escalated into fighting and soon it was the seven newcomers against fifty men. Their abilities were all different. One was fast and one was strong. Three could manipulate the different elements. One was a tactical genius. Together they were a force to be reckoned with. But there was one newcomer who simply stood and watched. He did not fight, he did not speak. He just observed. Each side so focused on destroying the other, neither saw the destruction that they were leaving in their wake.”
“By the time their numbers had dwindled down considerably, there were only two newcomers left and ten humans, including Tomaal. The nine remaining minions approached the bloody and tired newcomer. The newcomer did not move, he simply told the man not to pursue them any further. He told then that it would only lead to devastation. The newcomer watched as the man fled knowing that this was only the beginning, except for Tomaal. The battle weary newcomer forced Tomaal to his knees before turning back to the silent newcomer and asking if he would like to finish him.”
“The silent newcomer simply replied, ‘I will have no part of this.'
“The silent newcomer then watched as Tomaal was crushed between two boulders summoned by the other surviving newcomer. The two newcomers leave the destroyed village parting ways as they do. That was the day both The Sapient and The Order came to be.”
Wow.
Damiano stands and moves back towards the door and I'm left with tons of questions.
“Wait!”
He turns his face towards me and I catch a quick glimpse of the sadness that crosses his face before his emotional mask slips back into place.
“What was the point in telling me this? Don't get me wrong, I understand. Sort of. I just don't understand why you'd tell me this.”
Damiano doesn't turn back to me. His shoulders rise and fall and I'm pretty sure he sighed.
“Do not fall for truth with a lie.”
His words leave me searching my mind to try and understand, but when I look up to ask him what that actually means, he's gone.
Chapter Thirteen
Al
I should really get rid of that crane.
Nope.
It's not really necessary.
Leave it.
Why?
It's fun.
That's not a good enough reason to leave a giant crane next to the compound.
Best reason I have.
Fair enough.
Yep.
Sighing I walk past the crane and into the compound. The irrational part of me has won out once again, but I'm used to it. Most think I'm insane but what do they know? It never stops them from coming to me when they need something. They're always asking me to build things in half the time it would take any other contractor. I can't help that I'm brilliant. It's just how it is. There were many times in my youth when I would wish I had abilities like the others. As I grew older I found it far more entertaining to outsmart them. This is the first time I have been back to the compound since I created the cell for Dora and I'm not looking forward to it. I know I did what I was told. Knowing Dora she isn't even upset with me. I just feel guilty. She doesn't deserve to be in there, regardless of what she is capable of.
I have known most of the men in this unit for many years. I was both excited and pissed off to find out Takeo had found Chasca. Takeo deserved to find someone willing to give herself to him, to love him unconditionally. Hell, all the men here deserve that. But I had to admit I was pissed off because Chasca was amazing. And part of me wanted her for myself. I've never been a selfish person, so it was easy to dismiss those thoughts. If all I could get from her was friendship then I would gladly take it and keep my mouth shut. Now I could say the same for Dora. She has a sweetness about her that instantly makes a man want to whisper, so as to not disturb the beautiful balance that lies within her delicate frame. However, I've come to notice one thing. No one, not even Aiden, seems to notice the strength that shows through her striking blue eyes. I've read her report. I had to when they asked me to build the cell. I had to know what the chamber needed to be able to withstand. Dora is considered to be a weapon by both The Order and The Sapient because she is capable of mass destruction. Yet she refuses and she will not willingly hurt another human being. How curious.
What would a soldier do if his gun refused to fire?
Get a new gun.
Precisely.
The Sapient have not come for their weapon which tells me one thing. They must have another.
Or...
No.
It is a potential outcome. You must acknowledge it.
No.
She is exactly where they want her. This is the most logical scenario.
I have to tell the others.
No.
Prepare the compound.
How?
You know how. Of course I know how. A grin spreads across my face as I head towards the medical facility. Liza is the only one I come across as I make my way there. The only way she acknowledges me is by smiling and shaking her head at me as we cross paths in the hallway. She knows my intentions and considering she made no attempt to stop me, she must approve. Right?
Liza
What a mess this is going to be. I do not like to enter a person’s mind without permission or just cause, but Al is someone I always have to keep my 'third eye' on and it is quite entertaining. His mind is constantly arguing with itself. The irrational versus the rational and most of the time the irrational side wins out. There a few minds I cannot penetrate and one of those is Damiano. The few times I have attempted it there was no resistance, he made no attempt at blocking me, there was simply nothing to find. This is not normal. There is always something, broken memories, inner thoughts, something. But not with him, just black nothingness that made me feel uncomfortable. What caused me to feel even more uneasy was that each time I attempted it; he was staring directly at me. He was fully of aware at what I was doing and again he made no move to stop me. It almost seemed as if he wanted me too.
I walk past the front entry of the compound and I watch as the door opens and Aaron Feliciano steps in. He smiles at me and continues towards the training facility. There's something about him today that does not seem right. Aaron has never been an overly friendly man, but his movements are stiff and his eyes are searching. Allowing my mind to gently penetrate his I immediately come up against a brick wall. The first defense. Every agent is trained to know how to ward off psychic interference, but its common knowledge that you would only use this if you truly had something to hide. What was Mr. Feliciano hiding from me?
I follow him into the training facility and notice that he is looking around. He's been here before, many times in fact. There is only one thing he could be assessing. The cell. It is the only thing out of place in this entire room.
“Can I get you anything, Mr. Feliciano?”
He turns towards me and shakes his head no. He's got his cell phone in his hand but isn't paying attention to it. His eyes however deceive
him. He's concentrating very hard but not on the object in his hand.
“Are you sure? I know you travel quite far to get here. I could make you something to eat or some tea perhaps?”
“No, Liza. I do not need anything. I'm here on business and I intend on finishing quickly.”
He stares at me and I back at him. Neither of us giving the other an inch. Penetrating his mind once more I mentally give his brick wall a good shove and watch as it comes crumbling to the ground. His eyes flare and his face starts to redden. Before I go any further, I have to give him the opportunity to tell me the truth.
“What are you hiding from me?”
“I cannot discuss it. I was given orders to keep this information private by any means necessary.”
There it is. His tell.
His nostrils flare slightly when he is lying. I've seen it before. Granted at the time he was simply telling a white lie in a joking manner, but I saw it.
Penetrating his mind even deeper I come across the second defense. A vast ocean comes into view. The waves are crashing into one another, appearing as if a storm is brewing. This is to confuse the mental intruder. The pure chaos of it is supposed to distract us enough to withdraw. With a small smile playing at my lips, I part the vast ocean just as Moses parted the Red Sea. The vein in Aaron's forehead is protruding now and I know he doesn't have much more in him. The third defense is what I call 'The Facade'. It is information that seems vital and to the inexperienced it would seem that is what they were looking for. But no, it is simply the go to thoughts that they focus on to throw us off.
My turn.
In his mind I plant an image so vivid that he has no defense against it. We are as we are at this moment, but blood is pouring from his nose, his ears and his eyes. The pain he is feeling is intolerable. As always, this works. Aaron falls to his knees with his hands on his face and he is screaming.
Now the path is clear. Snaking my way through his mind I find what he is hiding and it is much worse than I suspected.
